


Lost

by creampuffer



Series: This Might Help - Teen Wolf S3 Fix It Ficlets [8]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Gen, Lost in the Woods, Young Derek, Young Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-17
Updated: 2013-08-17
Packaged: 2017-12-23 18:19:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/929608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creampuffer/pseuds/creampuffer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>16 year old Derek is wandering in the woods when he comes across a small boy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost

**Author's Note:**

> fix it ficlet for s3e8 of teen wolf for keysmashblog's this might help challenge.  
> this can, i guess, be seen as preslash as it's the totally fictional story of how derek and stiles first met. i have no idea on age continuity. but if jeff davis himself isn't bothered to keep up with continuity, why should i be bothered?

Derek was in the woods again when he heard a strange noise not unlike a lost pup. If he hadn’t been able to see so well in the dark, Derek would’ve missed the small bundle of clothes that turned out to be an even smaller human boy.

“Hello,” Derek called out, not wanting to startle the child.

A dark head of hair emerged from underneath the hood of a sweater and doe like brown eyes peered up at Derek. There was no fear behind the stare, only a deep sadness no one that young should have to feel. The child couldn’t have been more than five years old, alone in the deepest part of the woods and just sat there in silence as if he didn’t care what happened to him.

“Are you lost?”

The boy shrugged.

“Do you need help?”

The boy shook his head.

“Do you want to tell me your name?”

Again, the boy shook his head. And even though Derek had been worried earlier, now he was starting to get annoyed. Didn’t this kid know Derek was only trying to help him? “Why won’t you talk to me?”

This time the boy hesitantly opened his mouth and said, “Dad told me not to talk to strangers.”

Oh for fu -. “I’m Derek.” He smiled, though it probably resembled a grimace, and held out his hand for the boy. “Now you know my name so I’m not a stranger, right?”

The boy squinted his eyes at Derek, as if he knew that logic wasn’t quite sound but wasn’t able to figure out why. He seemed to give up the scrutiny and take Derek for his word though, because he extended his own tiny hand. “I’m,” and proceeded to give Derek a name there was no way he could pronounce.

“You got a last name, kid?”

He nodded. “Sti - lin - ski,” said slowly as if still practicing how to say it correctly.

Derek wondered why the Stilinski boy’s parents gave him such an impossible name when he already had a hard enough last name. And then he stopped and thought about that name, knew he recognized it. “Stilinski? Isn’t your dad a police officer?”

Little Stilinski smiled up at Derek. But just as Derek started to smile in response, the kid’s good mood vanished and he started to frown again.

“I’m pretty sure your dad’s really worried you’re missing. Probably has the whole force out looking for you.”

“Doubt it.”

“Why?”

Hiding under his hood again, the boy muttered, “because he hates me.”

“I doubt that’s true.”

“It is!” The kid jumped up so fast Derek was taken by surprise. But even at his full height, the little Stilinski barely came up to Derek’s waist. “He hates me because it’s my fault Mommy’s dead!” And then he rushed at Derek and wrapped his small arms around him.

Derek heard the boy start to cry and felt grief and blame flood into him. They were familiar feelings. He was still trying to deal with his own. But Derek knew that, despite there being no answer for the grief this little boy was feeling, there was no way he deserved any blame.

“I know that’s not true.”

The boy cried harder against Derek. “You don’t know!”

“Will you tell me then?”

There was a nod against Derek’s leg. He pulled the boy off, sat down, and let him crawl into his lap. When Derek was little he’d always felt safer when he was close to family. This boy didn’t have any around at the moment. Derek hoped he was enough.

“When I was still in Mommy’s tummy,” the boy began, “they found out she was sick. But she didn’t want to take any medicine in case it hurt me. After I was born she was in the hospital for a long time. They thought she was better. But it came back. Worse than before. And it’s because of me. If I wasn’t in her tummy she could’ve gotten better right away.”

They both sat there in silence for several minutes. Derek didn’t know what to say. Obviously it wasn’t the boy’s fault. But Derek could see how he might think it was.

“I lost someone recently,” Derek finally managed to say. “I’ve been blaming myself ever since. But I don’t think she ever did. And I don’t think she’d want me to now.” As he spoke, Derek could see the truth in his own words. “If she hadn’t met me, she’d still be alive, but she didn’t regret it. I bet your mom felt the same way about you. She’d rather have had you than not.”

Derek started to hear noises in the distance, dogs barking and people shouting - shouting a name that sounded familiar to the unintelligible mess of syllables the Stilinski boy had told him. They were out there looking for the Deputy’s son and getting closer and closer by the sounds of it. Relief washed over Derek. What this kid needed was his father.

“And I know your dad does too.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I can hear him searching for you right now.”

“You can?” And the boy sounded so surprised it broke Derek’s heart. That this kid could honestly believe his dad hated him because of what happened to his mom…

“Come on, I’ll take you to him.”

Derek carried the boy through the mess of fallen logs and twisted roots, not wanting him to get back to his father injured. But when they got close enough even the boy could see Deputy Stilinski by the light of several flashlights, Derek let him go. The kid took off at a sprint, tears rolling down his eyes. Derek turned around to leave when he heard the boy stop and run back towards him.

“Thanks, Derek!” The boy shouted and hugged Derek as hard as his little arms could squeeze.

Derek lifted him up and softly rubbed his face against the boy’s hair. “You’re welcome. Now go to your dad. He’s worried sick.”

The boy ran off again, nodding and grinning the entire way.

Derek wondered when he’d see the boy again.

**Author's Note:**

> as always you can find me on tumblr  here  and twitter here


End file.
